Rabin Outlines Plans For New Government

June 25, 1992|From Call news services

Yitzhak Rabin, the once and future prime minister of Israel, yesterday outlined plans for building a new government and rebuilding relations with Washington, indicating that he will stop spending on West Bank and Gaza Strip settlements, but continue on the Golan Heights and in parts of Jerusalem captured in 1967.

Labor Party officials said that Rabin would try to nail together a ruling coalition within three weeks. The latest results in Tuesday's election showed Rabin and Labor at the head of a parliamentary bloc big enough to exclude right-wing parties, particularly the tattered Likud Party of exiting Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir.

With only soldiers' votes yet to be counted, it appeared certain that Labor's phalanx --including Arab lawmakers who, although not part of the government, will be expected to vote with Labor -- will include at least 61 seats out of the 120 at stake, observers predicted. Labor itself won 47 seats.

Secretary of State James A. Baker III called yesterday for a prompt resumption of Middle East peace talks once the new Israeli government takes over.

The defeat of Shamir and the Likud coalition removes from power a government that stiffly resisted U.S. attempts to persuade Israel to yield territory to the Arabs and to stop settling Jews on the West Bank and Gaza.

Rabin is more likely to surrender at least some of the land Israel won in the 1967 Six-Day War in exchange for Arab recognition, and he supports only settlements in Jerusalem's vicinity or those that have military significance.

Rabin kept his coalition options open and said that any party could join his government, provided it accepted Labor's priorities. Those include offering self-rule to the Palestinians, shifting funds from the expansion of settlements to developing Israel's economy, reforming the electoral system and improving relations with the United States.

Rabin also appears eager to make headway on the Palestinian issue in Middle East peace talks. He committed himself yesterday to self-rule for the Palestinians as outlined under the 1979 Camp David peace treaty with Egypt. "I don't want to change operational concepts but to underline Israel's continued international commitment according to Camp David to give self-government to the Palestinians," he told reporters at a news conference.

His first chore, however, is to form a ruling majority.

Rabin will try to create a stable partnership with the leftist Meretz party, which holds 12 seats, and with one or two religious parties that are expected to abandon their alliance with Likud.